Breakfast Bruschetta - All About that Toast

Back in the day, my mom taught me all I thought I needed to know about toast. It went like this:

1. Untwist bread tie

2. Remove two slices and place in toaster

3. Press lever on electric toaster until golden brown

4. When bread pops up, try to grab quickly with fingertips and get hot bread onto plate for buttering

5. Try to spread butter thinly without ripping bread

6. Enjoy

This method served me well for years!

However, last year, I whipped up a blend of olive oil, kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder (if I have garlic in the house, I use minced garlic in place of powder) then dipped the bread into the mixture and grilled. I felt like I discovered toast heaven. But, improvements could be made. 

Please note, I used grocery store bought Italian bread for this first effort. NOT white bread.

The Mr. thought this method made the outer flesh of the bread crunchy but with a soggy center from dipping it in oil.

The next effort still included the olive oil, kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic mixed in a bowl, but then I lightly dabbed it on each side of the bread with a pastry or basting brush. The slices were grilled until golden brown and the crispy, crunch was toast nirvana. The salt and pepper, simple as it sounds, added a ton of flavor to the toast and the elimination of butter meant my son could enjoy the bread as he has a dairy intolerance.  Win/Win so far!

Further experimentation meant using bakery bread then topping this deliciousness with my version of bruschetta (which also changes depending on the ingredients I have available in the house) but for the photographed version I have:

Chopped tomatoes

Salt

Pepper

Basil

On a rainy day in the Hudson Valley area of New York, I opted to use the broiler for the toasting rather than the grill.  Two minutes for the first side, flip the bread, time for one minute and then yes, you have to babysit the bread and check every 20 seconds otherwise in the blink of an eye it is garbage.

I enjoyed some for breakfast today! It made me feel Fed Well and a little bit like a rebel to have something non-traditional to start my day (although yes, you can argue the toast is perfectly breakfast-y).  Take care.